The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-04-21
MURDERED HIMSELF.

VI HDERED Ill MSELf.
About half mile from the village o
Oposura, Mexico, facing the high road
and separated from the river Yagua b
a belt of trees, there stood some wear
ago,a long, low cottage known as l.
Bolsa. Senior Rodriguez, who was
squarely-built, clean-shaven man O
about 40, with gray hair, mustache an,
goatee, and with nothing remarkabl
about him except deep cut over hi
right eyebrow, had now been occupy
ing the cottage for little over a year
Considerable speculation was indulge,
in as to whom Rodriguez was and wha
he did for a living. He never volun
tccred any information on the score
but on one occasion he was heard t.
say something which led to the infer
ence that he had been a sea captain
and on the strength of it the RESIDENT
of the village called him the captain
About this time the captain had go
into trouble. He owed his Landlord
and the village tradesmen in the neigh
borhood of $500, and the patience o
his creditors was nearly exhausted
when one day they received letter
from the captain in which he wrote
that he would satisfy their claims or
the following Monday, as legacy lef
by ardistant relative had been paid il
to his account at the village bank
On Saturday the captain came into
town. met his landlords son, chattet
pleasantly with the young man and in
vited him TO accompany him to the
bank. He remained at the bank about
ten minutes, and came out at the END
of that time. buttoning into the breast.
pocket of his coat a fat-looking pocket.
book. He then went straight home
after making ? few purchases and bid.
! ding the young man gOOd-day.
On Sunday morning the villagers
were startled by the announcement
made by the captains servant at the
police station that her master had been
murdered the night before and robbed.
The inspector and the whole available
police force of the village, consisting
Of two policemen, set off for La Bolsa to
uneartb the mystery.
On reaching the building the win
dows and doors in front were closed
and locked. On going round to the
back the door leading from the sitting
room to the garden, which sloped down
to the river, was found to be open, and
on entering the sitting-room drops OF
blood were seen along the carpet be-
tween the staircase and the garden
door. On the staircase itself the drops
of blood were more frequent. The bed
room, however, was clearly the place
where the murder had been committed.
The table by the window had been
pushed out of its place; the only two
chairs i'll the room were lying on the
floor. The bed, which had not been
slept in, was deluged with blood, and
IN the middle of it was Il deep inden-
tion, as if Il heavy body had been
pressed down upon it. A large clasp
knife, stained with blood, was lying
on the pillow, and by the door on the
floor was an open pocket-book. So
much the Inspector saw at glance as
he entered. He took the pocket-book
and looked carefully through it; it was
empty, but lying near it, and behind
the door, was a piece of neatly-folded
paper. 1t had evidently fallen from
the pocket,book while the murderer
was emptying the contents. 1t was a
half-sheet of note paper folded in
three, and written on it We're the num-
bers and value of fOrty-two bank notes,
the total of which amounted to $3.50.
Here was clew at once. An officer
was Immediately dispatched to the vii
lage with the paper to inquire of the
bank authorities whether those were
the numbers of the notes which had
been paid to the captain the day be-
fore. He also received orders to await
the arrival of Capt. Salegria, we'll
known and daring Mexican detective,
who was to arrive in the village at
noon that day to visit an old friend.
The bank identified the numbers on the
paper as those of the bank notes paid
the day before to the captain. The
money had been paid him by the bank
in pursuance of an order contained in
letter on Saturday morning from one
of its correspondents, COlez, Garcia &
Co., a large firm doing an immense
business with the United States.
Further inquiries being made by the
officer, it was ascertained that man,
who seemed TO avoid observation, was
seen driving along the road early on
the morning of the murder in a vehicle
very much of the style used in the
country. The man who drove the
mysterious man to where he could OBJ
tain stage which ran on the old Opo-
sura road, showed the bank bill which
the stranger had given him to change,
and it was found to be one of those
stolen from the captain.
From the indications outside, there
was no doubt that the murderer had
gone out of the sitting-room back
ward, dragging the body of his victim
after him. Across the small grass
plot, and half way through the belt of
trees, the footsteps continued; there
they ceased. On the soft mud and
leaves were an impression as if long,
heavy body had been laid there; near
this impression, lying on the ground,
was spade, and at the distance of a
few feet the ground had been dug up
as if it had been intended to bury the
body there. The project, however,
had been given up, as the murderer
had thought of better plan for dis
posing of the body. But where? In
the river, of course! Sure enough, in
the river bank the footprints were
again found. The river had been
dragged up and down and sideways
and across, and at every conceivable
angle, but no body had been found.
The inspector was getting impatient
when a road wagon drove up and a
dapper little man, with a swarthy COM
plexion and a heavy black mustache
jumped out. The stranger was none
other than Capt, Salegria, the famous
detective. In a few minutes the de-
tectiye had heard all that the inspector
had to tell.
Let me see,'' said the detective.
'.All the village, you say, knew the
captain would have money to pay his
debts?"
The inspector nodded.
(Which amounted in all to about
$500, more or less?'
The inspector nodded again. ~